Enhancing the international student experience

Overview

​Overview

This one day conference conference is organised by UUK and UUKi in partnership with UKCISA as part of their 50th birthday celebrations. It is the must attend event for all those in the higher education sector who work with international students.

The event is an opportunity for delegates to come together and discuss, share and debate successful institutional strategies and examine effective approaches to improving the international student experience in the context of the current climate.

Hear from leaders in international education such as Lord Karan Bilimoria, Professor Koen Lamberts, Dominic Scott OBE and Vivienne Stern

Explore the newly released results of UKCISA's international student support survey

Discover the most common international student complaints with the OIA and discuss ways of addressing them

Hear students from the EU discuss how they would like to see universities respond to the impact of Brexit

Learn from international colleagues at ETH Zurich: how do they ensure that the experience of their international students, who make up 39% of their student population, lives up to the institution's global reputation

Why should you attend?

The issues surrounding international student success are more complex than ever. As progress is made in negotiating the terms of our exit of the European Union, an unstable political climate and the ongoing debates around student migration have fuelled a feeling of doubt and unease for international students studying, or considering studying, in the UK. It is more important than ever to reassure current and potential international students, and to deliver a first-rate international student experience.

The day will be focused on highlighting case studies, examples of best practice and successful strategies to help delegates gain the knowledge they need to make changes and improvements in their institutions.

During the event delegates will have a chance to hear first-hand from students studying in the UK and abroad about their experiences of being an international student, including what worked and what could have been better.

The day will include a combination of plenary sessions, panels, round table discussions and workshops as well as several networking opportunities, providing delegates with the best opportunity to engage with and learn from the event.

Who should attend?

This conference will be useful for staff who have responsibility for or play a part in the international student experience at their university. Relevant job titles include:

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Internationalisation)

Director of International Strategy/Recruitment

International Marketing Officer

International Operations Manager

International Student Experience/ Support Officer/Adviser

International Development Manager

Agenda

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​Agenda

9.30

Registration and refreshments

Morning chaired by Professor Koen Lamberts, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield and Chair of the UKCISA board

10.00

Welcome and opening remarks

Professor Koen Lamberts, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield and Chair of the UKCISA board

10.10

Ensuring the UK is the place for international students

Lord Karan Bilimoria, Co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on International Students and President of UKCISA

10.40

A Swiss approach: international students' experience at ETH Zurich

Anders Hagström, Director of Global Educational Affairs, ETH ZURICH

39% of ETH Zurich’s student population is made up of international students, they were shortlisted for this year’s Global Teaching Excellence Award and they are currently ranked the second most international university in the world by the Times Higher Education. So how does this impressive institution ensure that the experiences of its international students live up to its reputation, and what can UK institutions learn from its approach?

11.10

Refreshments and networking

11.30

Earlier in 2018, UKCISA carried out a survey of international student support in the UK. The survey covered topics including pre-departure activities, arrival in the UK, support for social activities, accommodation provision, immigration advice and compliance, student representation and preparations for Brexit. The full report will be released by the end of November. This session will provide a preview of the report's findings and feature roundtable discussions focussing on aspects of key importance to the sector.

The session will be facilitated by Dominic Scott OBE, Chief Executive, UK Council for International Student Affairs.

12.30

Lunch and networking

1.30

Breakouts

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​Supporting the engagement and experience of international students in group-work activities

Suzanne Faulkner, Teaching Fellow in Prosthetics and Orthotics, University of Strathclyde

The University of Strathclyde recently ran a UKCISA-funded project exploring how Lego Serious Play®️ (LSP) can enhance the engagement and experience of international students (especially non-native English speakers) in group work activities. Lego Serious Play®️ is an experimental process designed to enhance innovation and business performance. This session will explore some of the findings from the project and offer insights which you can apply across international student activities at your own institutions to improve participation and communication. Come prepared to show off your lego®️-building skills!

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​The OIA- learning from international student complaints

Anne Lee, Adjudication Manager, Office of the independent adjudicator

International students are disproportionately represented in the cases seen at the OIA and especially at higher levels of study. We will share up to date information about trends in the complaints received by the OIA examining whether there are commonalities across the different types of study. We will draw on our casework to explore the variation in expectations about the information and support they should receive. Presenting examples of real students' experiences, we will draw out what can go wrong, and what practical steps a Provider might take to avoid this.

Taking the OIA's examination of trends as a starting point, participants will be invited to consider and share views on whether the OIA's perspective echoes what they have experienced. As well as sharing our perspective, the OIA would like to explore what our data reveals about the complaints which are not made.

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​Experiencing and understanding what it means to be an international student

Cat Turhan, International Policy Officer, National Union of Students

Riddi Viswanathan, International Student's Officer, University of Manchester

An international student’s journey to the UK can feel like a complicated hoop-jumping exercise, with students from different countries facing different and nuanced sets of requirements. The National Union of Students have gamified this experience with The Great Education Exchange: a snakes and ladders-style board game which takes players on the journey of an international student hoping to study in the UK. Come to this session to play the game, put yourself in the shoes of an international student and discuss how institutions can make the process easier

​2.30

Refreshments and networking

3.00

Supporting the Social Transition Experiences of International Doctoral Students

Dr Jenna Mittelmeier, Lecturer in Education (International), University of Manchester

This session outlines key findings from a recent year-long UKCISA-funded mixed methods research project that explored the social transition experiences of international doctoral students at two UK universities. The presentation will outline key institutional cultures and policies that impact doctoral students' experiences, along with suggestions for continued support throughout the holistic doctoral experience.

3.30

The European student experience: managing the impact of Brexit

This panel discussion will include current students from the EU. They will discuss their own experiences of the Brexit referendum and the period since then, cover the possible impact of Brexit on future EU students, and recommend how they think universities can manage this impact.

4.30

Chair's closing remarks

Vivienne Stern, Director, Universities UK International

Speakers

​Speaker biographies

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​Professor Koen Lamberts, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield and Chair of the UKC

Professor Koen Lamberts is Vice-Chancellor & President of the University of York. He is Chair of the N8 Research Partnership, Chair of the Employers Pension Forum for Higher Education and Chair of UKCISA's Board of Trustees. He is also Deputy Chair and a Board Member of The Russell Group, the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership, the Outward Mobility Strategy Board, Universities and Colleges Employers Association, the White Rose University Consortium, the Worldwide Universities Network and Yorkshire Universities.

Following a research appointment at the University of Chicago, he became a lecturer at the University of Birmingham in 1992. He was Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of Warwick from 2000 to 2013. At Warwick, he served as Faculty Chair for Science, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research (Science & Medicine) and Deputy Vice-Chancellor & Provost.

He was a recipient of the British Psychological Society's Cognitive Award (1996) and of the Experimental Psychology Society Prize (1997).

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Vivienne Stern, Director, Universities UK International

Prior to her role in UUKi, Vivienne was Head of Political Affairs at Universities UK. In this role she led the sector’s response to several major pieces of legislation relating to universities, including the Higher Education Act 2004. She previously worked in the UK Parliament for the Chair of the Education and Skills Select Committee, and as a higher education policy specialist working on topics including quality, student experience, innovation and university-business links.

She is a Director of Universities UK; a member of the Board of the UK India Research and Innovation Initiative and the Strategic Partnerships in Higher Education Fund; she is a member of the British Council’s Education Advisory Group and a number of other Boards and Committees.

She is a graduate in English Literature from the University of Cambridge.

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Lord Karan Bilimoria, Co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on International Students and President of UKCISA

Lord Bilimoria, who became UKCISA's President in 2015, is the founder of Cobra Beer, Chairman of the Cobra Beer Partnership Limited and of Molson Coors Cobra India, both joint ventures with the global brewing company, Molson Coors.

He is the Founding Chairman of the UK India Business Council, a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London, a former Chancellor of Thames Valley University (now the University of West London), Chancellor of the University of Birmingham and Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Judge Business School, Cambridge. He was himself an international student coming to the UK on a scholarship for a diploma in accounting at what is now London Metropolitan University and then graduated in law from Cambridge.

In 2004 Karan was appointed a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to business and entrepreneurship, and in 2006 he was appointed an Independent Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords and created Baron Bilimoria of Chelsea in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Amongst a range of other roles and responsibilities he is also now co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on International Students.

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​Anders Hagström, Director of Global Educational Affairs, ETH ZURICH

Anders Hagström is Director of Global Educational Affairs at ETH Zurich. Before taking up his present position in 2008 he was project manager of ETH World, an ICT development program for education, research and services. Career stations before joining ETH Zurich in 1999 include various positions in the field of continuing professional development and lifelong learning for engineers at Helsinki University of Technology, the University of Cambridge and the European Federation of National Engineering Associations (FEANI).

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Dominic Scott OBE, Chief Executive, UKCISA

Dominic has been Chief Executive since 2004, following 20 years' experience at the British Council with most of his time spent living and working overseas. Reporting to UKCISA's Board of Trustees, he leads UKCISA's 16 staff and has overall responsibility for policy, strategy, funding and external relations. He spends much of his time on visa related policy issues and in discussion with government departments and agencies on all aspects of international student policy and the international student experience.

Dominic is Vice Chairman of the British Accreditation Council and a member of the Home Office's Education Sector Forum, the UCAS International Board, the Outward Mobility Strategy Board and the Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships Support Group.

In 2000, Dominic was awarded an OBE for services to education and UK links with India.

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​Suzanne Faulkner, Teaching Fellow in Prosthetics and Orthotics, University of Strathclyde

Suzanne Faulkner is an award winning teaching fellow in Prosthetics and Orthotics, within the department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.

With 11 years teaching experience at the National Centre of Prosthetics and Orthotics, Suzanne is passionate about enhancing the student experience by focusing on improving student engagement. With an increasing international cohort of students, she has employed various techniques to enhance communication and engagement with all students. These include using Snapchat as a tutorial tool, using various cloud based student response systems, utilising social media in learning and teaching and playful learning.

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Anne Lee, Adjudication Manager, Office of the independent adjudicator

Anne Lee is an Adjudication Manager at the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA). Before joining the OIA in 2006 she had worked both in higher education and as a qualified lawyer (court work in private practice, as well as legal work for charities and public bodies). Anne has taught in universities and colleges in addition to experience in university administration and admissions.

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​Cat Turhan, International Policy Officer, National Union of Students

Cat Turhan is the International Policy Officer at NUS. She graduated from the University of Warwick in 2013 with a degree in Classics. She was elected Welfare and Campaigns Officer, and subsequently President, and a key component of her work was focussing on international students' right and outward mobility. Prior to working at NUS, she was the Policy Officer at GuildHE, and has lived and worked in Munich. Cat also serves as a school governor at a local secondary school, and as a trustee for a charity aiming to get migrant women into work.

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Riddi Viswanathan, International Students' Officer at the University of Manchester

Riddi Viswanathan, a graduate in Business Studies and Economics from the University of Manchester, is the first-ever elected full-time International Students' Officer at the University of Manchester Students' Union. She has also served the Manchester Students' Union as the diversity officer. Riddi is passionate about policymaking has represented international students at prestigious policymaking forums including the Westminster Higher Education Forum, the European Parliament at Brussels and currently leads the Thought Leadership and Policymaking wing at the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU). She is also an elected representative of the NUS international students' committee and the National Executive Council (NEC). Riddi is passionate about a career as an entrepreneur and she strives to engage the young people of the world to drive global peace. She is also a voracious reader and a budding journalist.

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​Dr Jenna Mittelmeier, Lecturer in Education (International), University of Manchester

Jenna Mittelmeier is Lecturer in Education (international) at The University of Manchester. Her research specialisation areas focus on international education, curriculum internationalisation, and international students' experiences. Jenna has led a wide range of research projects and studies related to international education, including a recent UKCISA-funded project exploring the social transition experiences of international doctoral students. In her teaching capacity, she coordinates research methods training for MA students at the Manchester Institute of Education

Jenna actively uses Twitter to discuss her work, which you can follow at @JLMittelmeier

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​Krum Tashev, Postgraduate (Taught) Students Officer, SOAS, University of London

Krum is the ex-President of Christ Church Students' Union. Last year he was a member of the NUS's International Students Committee and the National Executive Council. Krum is currently the Postgraduate (Taught) students officer at SOAS, University of London, where he is undertaking a masters in Migration, Mobility and Development Studies.

Before coming to the UK, Krum lived in Bulgaria. During his time as a student in Bulgaria he worked on EU projects to tackle youth unemployment and discrimination in Central and East Europe; countries include Turkey, Hungary. Romania and Finland.

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